In this answer
Why dental insurance works differently
Insurance is priced on how often people claim. Most people use their dental benefits every year for something. Compare that with car insurance, where most people go decades without writing off a car.
A plan where most people claim every year can't be priced like one where few people claim at all. That's why dental plans cap out in the low thousands each year, while medical plans don't.
Dentistry isn't paid less than medicine for similar work. People just use it more often.
Why teeth get called cosmetic
Here's the reasoning, as fairly as we can put it.
If you've lost your teeth, a denture lets you eat and stay healthy. A denture costs less, so anything fixed or implant-supported is treated as an upgrade rather than a need.
That sets the bar at "can technically eat," which is a low bar for something you live with every day.
Where we think they get it wrong
This part is our opinion.
At the very least, removing failing teeth and placing a denture should be covered as medical care. Your mouth affects your overall health, and untreated dental infection adds to chronic disease, which is what medical coverage is meant to reduce.
A fixed arch is a harder case. When a denture is available, fixed teeth are a preference, even when they change someone's life. We understand that. But taking out failing teeth and replacing them with a denture isn't cosmetic by any fair reading.
Taking this step was a huge decision financially and personally, and I am so glad I did it.
What we think will change
We don't expect the insurance industry to change. We expect more practices to offer their own plans directly. You come in once a year, pay a set amount, and what needs doing gets done.
Our own Lifetime Warranty works that way for this treatment. It's priced in the same range as a dental plan and run by the people who made your teeth, so we know exactly what went in and how to fix it.
Quick answers
Is dental insurance a scam?
No. It's priced for care almost everyone uses every year, which is why the yearly maximums are low. Most people use their dental benefits far more often than their car insurance.
Will insurance ever cover full-arch implants?
Probably not anytime soon. When a denture is an option, insurers see a fixed arch as a want. What's more likely is practices offering their own membership plans for this kind of work.
Does my medical insurance cover any of it?
Sometimes it covers parts, depending on your plan and your medical situation. Ask your insurance company directly, and talk to your accountant before you spend, not after.
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Why do full-arch implant prices vary so much, and why won't some practices tell you the price?
Mostly because of how practices are set up. For years this treatment was split between two offices, a surgeon and a dentist who made the teeth. Practices aren't allowed to split fees, so each one billed you for its own part and nobody could give you one number. Quotes built line by line also tend to grow. When everything happens under one roof, as it does here, you get one price for your whole treatment plan. Travel is priced separately.
Answered by Dr. Daniel R. Noorthoek
Read the full answerHow do people pay for full-arch dental implants?
We work with several lenders, or you can pay outright. This year most of our patients are financing, though a couple of years ago it was closer to the other way around. Applying is a soft credit pull that does not hurt your credit score, and most of our lenders don't charge a prepayment penalty. You don't need your finances sorted before your consultation. And if a lender says no, that's not the end of the road.
Answered by Dr. Daniel R. Noorthoek
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